Act II: Tryst

The filming of ordinary TV shows does not necessarily have to follow the timeline, but the investors of this drama do not care about the money and specifically require that it be filmed in chronological order.

Qi Jixin's brows furrowed a little more every time she read a scene of the script. When she could no longer bear it, she slammed the script shut and started chatting with Sister Zhuo beside her.

"Sister Zhuo, if this is broadcast on TV, I'll be scolded to death, right? And the PR fees will be a huge expense."

It had been two days since the last conversation with Bing Jie. Xuan Jiazhuo had not been idle in private. She could not just listen to his one-sided story, and he had actually found out some clues for her. She was reading the message from the private detective on her mobile phone. When Qi Jixin called her like that, she turned off the phone guiltily and looked at her like a frightened bird.

Qi Jixin looked at her with confusion in his eyes, and only after seeing her quickly calm down did he answer his question.

"Don't worry, we have already signed a contract with the investor. They will cover the PR fees, and all subsequent expenses will be borne by them."

Xuan Jiazhuo had to admit that Bing Jie was simply unmatched in his generosity.

In order to promote cooperation, he increased Qi Jixin's salary tenfold. Adding to the subsequent expenses, it can be said that every second he sees Qi Jixin is burning bundles of money.

He deserves it! Xuan Jiazhuo felt that this was not enough. The right thing to do was to make this scumbag realize his mistakes as soon as possible and spend the rest of his life in regret and self-blame.

Before Qi Jixin had time to sigh, the assistant director came over and invited people to the set. The next scene was about to start shooting.

It was a play within a play, the second meeting between the heroine and the hero.

"Ka! The male lead could have brewed up the emotions here a little more. The throbbing and almost uncontrollable emotions could have been subdued a little more. It shouldn't be so superficial, otherwise it would have seemed a bit fake."

The director leaned over and emerged from behind the monitor to explain the scene to the male lead. He was always very demanding and this shot had been NGed six times. The atmosphere on the scene became increasingly depressing. To outsiders, the male lead seemed good enough, but under the director's keen eyes, this scene still did not pass.

Bing Jie nodded and bowed apologetically in the constructed stage. In order to better improve his acting skills, he took the initiative to suggest taking a break first.

The actors and staff around her held their breath. There was no other reason. The director usually had the final say and was like the emperor on the set. It was difficult for her to agree to other people's suggestions, but for some reason, she agreed.

Although his eyes were still filled with dissatisfaction, he was still allowed to go back to the house to rest for half an hour.

Bing Jie walked dejectedly through the crowded corridor and opened the door of his lounge. His dejected mood prevented him from noticing anything unusual in the room at first. Only after Qi Jixin tapped the table with his fingertips, making two short tapping sounds, did he suddenly look up.

"You... why are you here?" Bing Jie closed the door in a panic and looked at the person who came in with great vigilance.

Qi Jixin smiled lightly, acting as if this was her room. The sofa that could accommodate two people was left empty on the other side. She raised her hand and patted the empty seat, saying calmly, "Come and sit."

Bing Jie stood there motionless like a statue, his refusal evident. "There are too many people here, Mr. Qi, you'd better go back early. If someone sees us and tells others about it, it won't be good for you or me."

"That's why I came to the lounge to find you because I didn't want to cause you any trouble." She spoke so frankly that even Bing Jie, who was leaning against the door, was stunned for a moment.

Yes, if people found out that she, a high-ranking CEO, was dating a minor celebrity, the rumors would spread like wildfire. Bing Jie knew all too well what would happen. By then, there would be no chance of recovery for her.

Thinking of this, his face turned pale, and his emotions floated up and down as if swept by a strong wind, but finally, his rationality returned.

Fortunately, she didn't do that.

Seeing that he had let down his guard a little, Qi Jixin continued, "We left in such a hurry last time that I didn't even have time to ask for your contact information. I came here today to do something and happened to hear that you were here, so why not try my luck?"

Bing Jie hesitated for two seconds before adding her as his friend. After all, even if he didn't give her a call, she would still have a thousand ways to find him. As soon as he sent the friend request, Qi Jixin's phone rang.

It was her assistant who asked her to attend a meeting. Qi Jixin stood up and left while talking on the phone. Before leaving, she helped him close the door.

After Bing Jie returned to the set, the situation not only did not improve, but his emotional expression even showed a tendency to get worse. After being stopped by the director again, the scene was filled with a suffocating feeling of impending storm. Everyone knew that the director was about to lose his temper.

I deserve to be scolded, Bing Jie thought self-reproachfully.

Ever since I met her, my heart has been pounding. She didn't do anything and left immediately, but for some reason, I always think of her.

"I said..."

The director spoke with full energy, and the chair that was knocked over by her sudden rise also showed that she was in a terrible mood. Everyone in the audience was nailed to the spot and dared not move. Bing Jie also lowered his head and prepared to be scolded.

Squeak——

No one knew who opened the door of the set. The headlights on the side of the studio were bright, but the entrance to the set was dim, making it difficult to see who came in. However, when the flowing air filled the entire set, everyone's heart was slightly relieved.

"You can't even lock the door to the set? Are you not going to do your job as a stagehand?"

The director's anger shifted, and he turned to scold the stagehand. When he was about to yell at the person coming, the person spoke as if he had predicted it, his tone was calm, and he was not intimidated by the director's momentum at all.

As soon as Bing Jie heard the voice, he knew who it was. He tried his best to act natural, but he didn't realize that his back was already stiff.

"Who has made our Director Li so angry again? How hateful." Qi Jixin walked out slowly from the dark. She was indeed here to discuss business today. She was wearing a well-ironed suit and dressed smartly. She walked with a breeze, looking really arrogant and proud.

The director sighed helplessly. The one who paid the money had come, so even if she was extremely angry, she had to endure it.

"Ms. Qi, why are you here?" The director took two steps forward and asked her with a smile.

After Qi Jixin stopped, he first glanced at the director, then glanced at the people around him.

When he looked into her eyes, Bing Jie felt an unspeakable panic rising in his heart. He was in a panic and his heart was in his throat. Any movement from Qi Jixin could lead to his downfall...

But before he could look away, Qi Jixin had already looked at someone else.

"Of course I have something to talk to you about."

The director followed her to the side, while the others rested there. It was unknown what the two of them were discussing. Qi Jixin looked relaxed, while the director's expression was sometimes tense and sometimes relaxed.

Bing Jie looked up at them intentionally or unintentionally, and was naturally caught by Qi Jixin. Every time he was discovered, her meaningful eyes would linger on him briefly. When Bing Jie hurriedly looked away, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

Bing Jie, who swore not to look over there again, still couldn't help but glance at her. This time was different. For some reason, Qi Jixin's mouth corners were slightly raised, as if she was laughing at something.

Since the director had his back to him, Bing Jie didn't know if the two of them were talking about something happy.

What are you laughing at? That's really weird.

Curiosity drove him to take one last look, but this time he was nailed to the spot, as if he had fallen into an icy cave.

Qi Jixin pulled the director's arm and asked her to turn around and look back. Bing Jie was caught by the two of them this time. The smile on Qi Jixin's face became even wider, while the director's expression was complicated.

Bing Jie swallowed his saliva, his brain working at high speed to judge the situation before him. Did she tell the director about our relationship? No, we clearly have no relationship at all.

Just when Bing Jie felt uneasy, Qi Jixin patted the director on the shoulder, turned around and left without any fame or credit.

The director came over quickly and told Bing Jie urgently, "The way you looked at me just now was very good. Just act like that. Hurry, hurry, before the situation wears off, everyone should get into position!"

His mood went through ups and downs like a roller coaster. Bing Jie couldn't laugh or cry now. He thought that he was really bad at that time.

Playing with people's hearts is a natural talent of his, and coupled with the various schemes he has made in the business world, his plans have made them flawless and well-balanced, so he has never failed.

Now that the person is gone, he can openly admit that when he first met Qi Jixin, he did subconsciously use many despicable means to make her trust him and fall in love with him.

Now he was trying to empathize with Qi Jixin through acting. After only two scenes, he sincerely thought that he was really despicable.

Every time her emotions moved, they were all based on my deliberate manipulation. At that time, I just wanted to get her by any means necessary, and I didn't care whether her emotions were heart-throbs or fears.

Bing Jie thought that she was right to scold him and he deserved to go to hell.

The second half of the play was simple. Bing Jie, who successfully completed the filming of the play within a play, took the initiative to invite Qi Jixin to meet him, saying that he had something important to discuss with her.

In Bing Jie's real memory, this was her first tryst with him.

A normal person would regard the other party's refusal to make advances as the end of a relationship, but Bing Jie was too conceited and knew too well how to manipulate people's hearts and turn things around, so he insisted on treating that as their first tryst.

Night enveloped the entire city. The two stood on the rooftop, where the cold wind howled. Neither of them spoke first. If they didn't look down, all they could see was the stars in the sky.

This building is so tall, so tall that the bright lights of ordinary streets and alleys cannot disturb the tranquility of the top floors. It is so tall that people forget that this is a commercial center where every inch of land is valuable. Subconsciously, they think that this is a bitter and cold wilderness, with gusts of cold wind that seem to chill people's blood.

This is probably what the saying "It's lonely at the top" means.

"Mr. Qi, I'm not a person who flatters the powerful. You don't need to waste your time on me." Bing Jie tried his best to imitate her expression that day, trying to be tactful in refusing, and the tiredness of having to maintain the dignity.

Now he was like a poor imitator, trying to get a glimpse of her past thoughts and feelings through her past actions.

His tone was resolute, but his eyelashes trembled slightly. Qi Jixin narrowed her eyes slightly and exhaled heavily through her nose. Seeing that he was alarmed and stared at her, she smiled and said her lines.

"I never say I like someone lightly. You should think about it carefully." After saying that, she stared at him with determination. Her eyes didn't seem like she was looking at a living person, but more like a beast locking onto its prey, about to deliver a fatal blow.

Bing Jie was stunned by this aura, just like she was at that time.

These words were incoherent and even Qi Jixin didn't understand them at the time. She just felt that his gaze was terrifying. It was a long time later that she asked what he meant. Bing Jie just smiled but didn't answer.

She didn't hear the threat in the words at that time, which could be considered God's blessing on her.